Calgary Olympic debate shifting towards plebiscite arguments
Posted Nov 1, 2018 7:45 am.
Last Updated Nov 1, 2018 9:33 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The decision for a Calgary Olympic bid is most likely out of City Hall’s hands now.
A vote in council Wednesday evening kept the Olympic dream alive as not enough councillors supported a motion to have the bid process quashed.
While November 13th’s plebiscite is non-binding, both the federal and the provincial governments have said Calgarians need to support the bid in order to get funding.
There have been rumours and plenty of misinformation around this process from both sides, but now there is finally some clarity at least when it comes to the financial side of a bid. Calgary will be paying $390 million in new funding if the bid is won to host the Games.
Tricia Smith is with the Canadian Olympic Committee, she says it’s up to everyone to be engaged in this upcoming vote.
“It’s a two-way street. I think all of the voters have a responsibility to get out there and educate themselves and find out what the facts are, question what the sources are, make sure you have the facts when making the decision.”
Erin Waite is with the group No Calgary Olympics. She says we need to look at the issue thoroughly.
“The decision is beyond whether we like the bid book or whether we like the Olympics. It’s a matter of whether Calgary can afford this, and whether it’s the right project for Calgary now.”
She believes our attention should be focused elsewhere.
“What you don’t hear enough about, I believe, is the opportunity cost. What aren’t we doing if we choose to do the Olympics? You’ve seen how distracting this project is, and we haven’t even got started yet.”
Jason Ribeiro is with Yes Calgary 2026.
He says the hundreds of people who showed up at city hall in support of the games was a symbol of a bigger movement.
“We were going to move forward and show councillors how much these games mean to us, how much we love Canadian sport, and how much we love the international camaraderie. I think a switch was flipped in people’s minds about what could be lost. ”
With files from Ian Campbell.
